10 Most Extraordinary Amphibious Cars

Can anyone question that having automobiles that can do more than just drive on the road are an interesting concept? This idea came about during World War II in the form of vehicles that were able to swim. Despite that during the 1960s most of these amazing amphibious cars were developed, the potential of a car that is capable of navigating waterways just like a boat goes on to draw in ambitious inventors. The following is a list of the 10 most extraordinary amphibious automobiles in the world.

Gibbs Quadski

Introducing first the Gibbs Quadski which is an amphibious vehicle that can function as one’s own personalized watercraft and ATV. It was first unveiled during October of 2012 by Gibbs Sports Amphibians. This Quadski is a 4-stroke, amphiquad which transforms into a personalized watercraft. On both land and water it boasts speeds of up to 72 km/h (45 mph), wheel retraction and a trademarked aquatic jet propulsion system. The Quadski is able to changeover between water and land in roughly five seconds. It makes use of Giffs’ High Speed Amphibian (HSA) innovation and consists of more than 300 patents and ones that are pending all around the world.

Amphicar

The first public sales for this German Amphica amphibious automobile were first made to the public market in 1961. This vehicle was produced by the Quandt Group at Lubeck and at Berlin-Boriswalde and was fashioned by Hanns Trippel. Originally the Amphicar was developed to be distributed and sold in America. Unfortunately, its functionality was modest at best in contrast to a majority of cars and boats and there were only about 4,000 of these generated by 1965. Nonetheless and with that aside, the Amphica still remains one of the greatest successes as far as private amphibious cars and it is frequently valued and maintained as a unique vintage in vehicles nowadays.

Gibbs Aquada

This amphibious vehicle was developed by Gibbs Sports Amphibians within New Zealand and is a high speed vessel. It is actually not considered to be an altered boat or a car with wheels. Rather, it is a specifically fashioned automobile that is every bit at home in the water as in dry terrain. On the water, it has the potential to run (30mph/26 knots) and 160 km/h (100 mph) on land. During March of 2003 this Gibbs Aquada became a part of history when it was piloted by Richard Branson who took it across the English Channel in only 1 hour, 40 minutes and 6 seconds – which was a new record.

Rinspeed Splash

Rinspeed, which is a popular Swiss sportscar tuning firm, had developed an amphibious vehicle during 2004. It possesses a complex hydrofoil concept and this car can go up to speeds of 31 mph (50 km/h) when it is on the water – which just happens to be faster than many think. The Rinspeed can cruise in water under 30 knots much similar to a standard boat. As expected, when it hits the land it travels at much faster speeds of roughly 124 mph (200 km/h). The Rinspeed Splash is energized through the use of natural gas and is the very first amphibious automobile to use this eco-friendly resource. It comes equipped with a two-cylinder, turbo-charged motor that runs at 750cc and its incorporated hydrofoil layout is capable of being implemented at over four feet in water depths.

SeaRoader Lamborghini Countach

This SeaRoader is the world’s preliminary Amphibious Lamborghini and is a mid-motored (for ballast) Lamborghini Countach that has been modified by Mike Ryan who is an aquatecht for SeaRoader. “If it’s got wheels, I’ll make it float!” Ryan boasted after he customized it to become amphibious. Mike Ryan has additionally transformed other vehicles into water-going ones such as motorcycles, jeeps, an ice cream van and even a London taxi. As expected, it’s quite expensive to convert a nice luxurious sports car into one that is amphibious. Mike Ryan stated that the glass by itself came at a cost of around $3,007. When the Countach is in the water, its frontal hydrofoil elevates the nose while the hydraulic activators compress the suspension Formula 1-designed system.

Gibbs Humdinga

This amphibious vehicle is a 5-seater with full-time 4WD operated by a 350 BHP V8 engine, and is equipped to travel at 160 km/h on land and 65 km/h on the water. The Humdinga was first launched into the public during February of 2012 and was created by Giffs Technologies to exclusively gain access to hostile and remote landscapes. Just as the Gibbs Aquada, it utilizes the High Speed Amphibian (HSA) innovations.

Hydra Spyder

This piece of work is an open-top, high performance and speed amphibious sports car that was released by Cool Amphibious Manufacturers International – otherwise known as (CAMI). It is a very stylish and extremely modernized old style-looking part sports car as well as a speedboat. When traveling on water it reaches speeds of up to 53 mph (85 km/h) and on land can go 125 mph (201 km/h). The weight for the standard manufacturing design is roughly 3,300 pounds and is powered by a Corvette LS2 6.0 liter V-8 engine that is rated at 400 horse power, 6,000 RPM and 400 ft. lbs of torque at 4,000 RPM. Also incorporated is the 5-speed manual high efficiency close proportion transmission as well as the front wheel drive with 3.73 – 1 axle ratio.

Dobbertin HydroCar

The Dobbertin HydroCar is an aluminum-bodied and diligently constructed amphibian. It is quite extraordinary as it can transform its shape from “Land Mode” to “Water Mode” simply at the flick of a switch. When operating on land, its complete-length jointed sponsons get elevated and come out to be the vehicle’s fenders. When the HydroCar enters water, the same sponsons get dropped roughly 8 inches in order for it to transmute the vehicle into a tunnel-hulled watercraft and all in a procedure that takes a few seconds. Rust is not a problem for this vessel as the main body is comprised of type 304 stainless steel. There is a fully dyno-tuned Chevrolet motor that generates 762 HP at 5,800 RPM under the hood of the car. When first built, the HydroCar was using a 6-bladed propeller, but in accordance with Dobbertin, they declared that it was unable to produce enough “bite in the water” so he exchanged it with a 4-bladed Rolla stainless steel propeller that had not yet been tested in the water even before the HydroCar had been sold. The vehicle does demand continuous adjusting, but despite this, it’s simply an amazing amphibious automotive.

Sea Lion

The Sea Lion is that specific vehicle you are looking for when you want speed, an exclusive appearance and a vehicle that can changeover into a speed boat within seconds. It is the swiftest amphibious “land speed” car in the world and it is not in fact a car. According to the designer, Witt, it’s known as an Amphibious World Speed Record Competition Vehicle. The Sea Lion displays speeds of up to 125 mph (201 km/h) on the road – which isn’t extremely remarkable – but it was fashioned to set world records not only on land but on the water where it shines best. When in the water, it can peak some reputable speeds of up to 60 mph (96 km/h). The Sea Lion’s body has been fitted by using CNC-milled and TIG-welded 5052 aluminum.

WaterCar Panther

Although it might appear to be a speed board or a jeep, it’s neither. What it really turns out to be is WaterCar’s Panther amphibious automotive. Pictured above is the planet’s quickest amphibious car that has been designed by a California-based car company. The founder of Panther, Dave March, had dreamed for 13 years of getting the opportunity to construct a car that had capabilities of traveling as fast on the water as it can on land. If the truth be told, March really wanted his vehicles to travel at “freeway”-type speeds on the water. The end result would be his WaterCar Python which was able to claim the title as World’s Fastest Amphibious Car because it could go as fast as 125 mph (201 km/h) and 60 mph (96 km/h) on the water.The most recent advancement from WaterCar is their Panther which has been dubbed the “ultimate vehicle.” Its water speeds can reach 45mph – which is nearly as quick as a typical speed boat – and a driver can get it up to 80mph on the land. It takes its design from a Jeep CJ8 Scrambler but the chassis has been modified (due to it being too heavy) and made from lightweight chassis of chromoly steel. The Python is more of an amphibious sports car whereas the Panther resembles an amphibious SUV instead. There are statements from WaterCar that claim the Panther can be operated on various surfaces which include both mud and sand.